Granger took the Leica 75mm, the most expensive retail Leica lens, out to shoot at a harbor with his model Steph. He worked to “obliterate” the background with the incredibly shallow depth of field allowed by the f/1.25 maximum aperture.

The $12,800 Leica NOCTILUX 75mm f/1.25 lens.

While the amount of light let into the camera by this lens is a huge boon, focusing properly becomes a critical (and sometimes challenging) task. The Leica’s built-in peaking feature can help to determine the precise areas of the scene in focus, but any slight movement of the camera can throw things off.

The Leica 75mm has a minimum focus distance of 2.8 feet (0.85m), and an aperture range of f/1.25 to f/16. It has two aspherical elements with low dispersion glass and is a completely manual-focusing lens.

“The only thing I’m worried about is insurance,” says Granger. “This is a pretty nice car I have in my hand right now in terms of value.”